"Black Mirror" explores the pitfalls and unintended consequences of technology. The several episodes I’ve watched strike me as an older version of "Twilight Zone" on steroids. "Black Mirror" portrays a haunting future where rules, law and order appear obsolete.

One particular episode caught my interest, “Nose Dive.” This event is set about 30 years from now. The protagonist is a thirtysomething woman named Lacie. In her world, everyone is rated by their handheld devices. By directing your device at someone in close proximity, you can see their “score.” In order to succeed, you must have at least 4.2 out of 5.

When Lacie receives an unexpected call from a former high school classmate, Naomi, the very epitome of the rich and famous, she asks Lacie to be her maid of honor. Lacie shrieks with delight. So she sets off to fly to the wedding. This is where Murphy’s Law takes effect. Her plane ticket is canceled. When she makes a scene, she is abruptly escorted out of the airport. Lacie discovers her “score” drops below 4.0, the proverbial kiss of death. Undaunted, she sets out on foot. With her score falling, she is ignored by passers-by.

Smudged with travel fatigue, she reluctantly agrees to take a ride with an old woman, Pam. Lacie continually looks at her device and sees she is down to a 3.1. Pam tells Lacie she’s no longer on the “grid.” Lacie is shocked, appalled that anyone would “drop out.” Pam is remarkably content, freed from the tyranny of maintaining a fabricated persona built on deceit and phoniness.

Lacie eventually gets to the wedding; she’s covered in mud, her dress is torn. The wedding guests shout their horror and hatred as Lacie speaks her truth. No longer keeping score, Lacie lets go an Amos-like tirade. Finally cornered, her fate sealed, she is unceremoniously dumped in the surrounding woods. She’s messy and dirty but now freed from pleasing others.

Lacie is eventually taken to prison. Her score is now zero. While the episode ends on this sad note, Lacie now recognizes the truth, which sets her free (John 8:32).

In John 3:16, Jesus speaks of being born again, or born from above. Lacie learns the deeper magic C.S Lewis describes in his Chronicles of Narnia (sorry, you’ll have to read it for yourself).

Had the episode continued, I imagine we would see a transformed Lacie, with fewer friends and but so much richer within. Possessing a sense of self, knowing where you stand, recognizing your boundaries and remaining calm in an anxious world, indeed, you will be set free.

Steve Corum is the director for clinical pastoral education with Avera Health.